Commentary: The Furor Over Black Marriage

Depending on the day, my attitude toward traditional heterosexual marriage ranges from agnostic to pretty cynical, so perhaps what I say should be taken with a grain of salt. But the current obsession with the relatively low rates of marriage among African-Americans is starting to get on my nerves.

It's no easy thing to go against the pro-marriage tide, since the Crisis of the Black Family has been an established theme for damn near 50 years (if the notorious Moynihan Report of 1965 can be marked as its beginning). Moreover, our community's obsession with the issue does reflect some genuine yearning for the kind of haven in a heartless world that present conditions too often deny us. And who can deny the advantages of two stable, resourceful, mutually committed people (of opposite sex or not) working together to manage a household and raise children?

Therein lies problem with this one-sided discussion: the benefits of marriage are so relentlessly hyped that it's hard to believe that Black people haven't gotten the message by now. Whenever we come in for a public scolding on programs like CNN's "Black in America" series, it seems that the gathered Black talking heads never offer more than the most token resistance to the "fact" that heterosexual marriage should be the desired state for all Black people. Then we have contrived events such as the proudly heteronormative "National Black Marriage Day"--which, though undoubtedly well-meaning, gives off more than a whiff of Black insecurity, the kind that would make a besieged people say, "See, White America? We're worried about this problem too!"

The Villager, 4/8/11 - "Democrats fight losing battle over state budget"

In a vote that sharply reflects the deep ideological fissure within the state, the Committee Substitute for House Bill 1 (C.S.H.B. 1), the general appropriations bill that sets the budget for the state, passed the Texas House of Representatives Sunday by a vote of 98-49. The bill cuts tens of billions from public and higher education, health and human services, and public safety programs, while keeping the state Rainy Day Fund mostly intact—a key goal of fiscal conservatives.

For the 82^nd Legislature, the momentum toward steep spending cuts was established early, even though Democrats have always insisted that the story of the deficit is also the story of certain well-heeled players—some of them major corporations—refusing to pay their fair share in taxes.

“We can’t afford to subsidize companies that are making millions and billions of dollars while we have folks that are getting layed-off in our schools,” said Davis. “It’s the will of the leadership to recognize that we need additional resources.”